The Editor, Sir:

Jamaica should be watching with excitement and interest the possibility of a person of colour becoming president of the United States (US). For, among other things, the current presidential campaign presents a most fascinating picture. A mix of race and gender provides an intriguing test of how the US will react to the interplay of two of the most sensitive aspects of American culture and history. During the primary phase of the contest the Democratic Party and its candidates, especially senators Obama and Clinton, find themselves uncomfortably perched on the horns of a dilemma.

Politics in the US is so complicated and complex it confuses even the practitioners and confounds the pundits. But no one is so naive as not to think that racial bias against blacks and black resentment towards whites are so ingrained as to affect voter behaviour and ambush the process. This could render Senator Obama unelectable at the presidential if not at the nomination stage of the contest, but at the same time make Senator Clinton uncertain as to how her campaign should approach the issue. If she plays to the anti-black sentiment in the society, a black backlash might prejudice her chances of winning the nomination. But should Obama win on the back of black voters a white backlash could doom Democratic Party hopes of winning the White House.

Racial politics

In any event, it is inevitable that racial politics will play out in the elections, at both stages. Democratic candidates, however, can be expected to deny any direct involvement in this strategy, either by themselves or their campaign. And if Obama appears to disrespect Clinton, whites might take umbrage. So he would be forced to run on his ability to unite across all boundaries, protect and advance the interests of all groups (mainly the disadvantaged), without undue emphasis on the racial divide. Whites would have noticed nonetheless, that black voters in Michigan and Nevada seem to have cast their votes disproportionately for Obama, and will draw their own conclusion as to how to react, thus possibly compounding the effect of their own inherent racial preference. A similar South Carolina breakdown of voter behaviour could cause the same response and make matters that much worse for Obama.

So, from this distance one gets the impression that no matter what is said about the new and more enlightened generation of voters, the undecided, and a yearning for inspired change, a hard core racial impulse will remain pivotal. Many blacks are sceptical of Obama's presidential prospects. Black America is not confident, some commentators maintain that white opinion poll support for Obama will hold up in the voting booth. Look at New Hampshire, they might say, where a 10- to 13-point lead by Obama before voting day was transformed into a three-point loss when the votes were cast.

Clear advantage

When the gender element is added to the mix Senator Clinton appears to hold a clear advantage, because, for whatever reason, gender bias seems to be less contentious than racial prejudice. Voters are free to act upon a perception of two men ganging up on a lone woman, without causing a furore. So while the race card has to be hidden, the gender card can be put on the table, face up. It gets even worse for Obama. Black women in America seem awed by and drawn to former President Clinton, ironically making his wife the likely beneficiary of this attachment.

Why then risk supporting Obama, blacks and even some whites might argue, and let in a Republican president ahead of a Clinton democrat with a convincing reputation and perhaps record of pro-black sympathy?

For the first time, the maturity of the American culture of race is under scrutiny in a deeper and most revealing way. What excuse can America have to reject a presidential candidate of married white and black parentage, or for that matter, a white opponent, on the basis of race? If it turns out this way, America would have missed a golden opportunity to teach the world a transcendent lesson of respect for human dignity, diversity and inclusiveness.

I am, etc.,

H. DALE ANDERSON

hdaleanderson@gmail.com